By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
It came down to the final seconds, but the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers survived Harlingen South after a late rally by the Hawks fell short.
Brownsville Veterans clung to a one-point lead during the final 18 seconds but held on to win 45-44 after missed baskets by South’s leading scorers, Luke Bradford and Gabe Beltran, as time expired.
“This was a game between two very evenly-matched teams,” Brownsville Veterans coach Larry Gibson said. “We fought a little harder at the end, but this was a great basketball game. I think both teams were evenly matched, and I think the team that wanted it the most got it at the end.”
With 2:52 remaining in the game, Brownsville Veterans (15-9, 4-2 in District 32-6A) held a 41-34 lead, but Harlingen South (12-12, 4-2) clawed its way back, surging ahead with a 10-1 run that took just more than 40 seconds and taking the lead 43-42.
However, Isaiah Torres made a layup and the front end of a 1-and-1 for the Chargers during the final minute to counter a single made free throw by Bradford , giving Brownsville Veterans the lead before the final possession.
“Brownsville Veterans is a very good team, and a game like that just goes to show you how tough this district really is,” Harlingen South coach Brian Molina said. “Credit to them and their coaching staff and coach Gibson, who does a great job with them.
“They played hard. We knew it was going to come down to probably one or two possessions and it did.”
The game was back-and-forth and high-scoring throughout the second half. The teams combined for 58 points during the latter two quarters after netting just 31 total points before halftime.
Each team experienced a severe scoring drought during the first half. For Harlingen South, it came right out of the gate.
The Hawks made just one basket and one free throw during the first quarter, allowing the Chargers to jump out to a 9-3 lead. South didn’t turn around its scoring until the 5:52 mark in the second.
“I told the kids that we were settling for too many perimeter shots, and that’s not really our game this year,” Molina said. “I told them we needed to be a little bit more aggressive to the basket.”
Just as the Hawks turned their game around, Brownsville Veterans’ fortunes shifted.
The Chargers held a 12-3 lead early in the second quarter but proceeded to make only a pair of free throws the remainder of the half, giving Harlingen South a 17-14 lead at the midway point.
“The second quarter, we weren’t putting enough pressure on them,” Gibson said. “We were letting them come down the court and do whatever they wanted. In the second half, we started pressuring the ball a bit more and I think that helped us.”
After halftime, the scoring opened up and neither team went long without putting points on the board.
Bradford led all scorers with 14 points, and Beltran added 10 for the Hawks. Torres led the Chargers with 13 points, and teammate Manny Perez chipped in 11, all of which came during the second half.
Brownsville Veterans next travels to Rivera to face the Raiders, and Harlingen South will play host to the Lopez Lobos. Both games will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.